Trekking Rwenzori Moutains

Trekking rwenzori in Uganda "mountains of the moon" is one of the most challenging experience in the whole of Africa. Rwenzori is a block mountain the third highest in Africa and the longest range in east Africa

Trekking Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda

The ascent of Mt Baker peak is usually nontechnical except in the snow seasons of April-May and September-October. All year round safety ropes will be used on steep sections, and crampons will be supplied locally if needed and instruction given on how to use them. You will need to scramble over rocks and be comfortable with basic winter mountaineering skills during the snow season. Harnesses with karabiners are supplied locally and are needed as a safety precaution for the summit on Mt Baker, as there is a rock ledge to navigate. No previous experience is necessary but it requires stamina and determination. The summit attempt of Mt Baker is not recommended for anyone suffering from vertigo. Our guides provide all the ropes and lead the way.

Day 1 ARRIVAL ENTEBBE

You will be welcomed by a representative of Steady Safaris at Entebbe Airport. From here you will be transferred to Kampala and continue to Mbarara Town, before heading for the foothills of the rwenzori Mountains of Moon.

Day 2 START OF THE EQUATOR GLACIERS TOUR

Early in the morning transfer to Nyakalengija (1646 meters) where you will start your climb into the rwenzori mountains. The hike takes you along the Mubuku river and through thick equatorial vegetation before arriving at the Nyabitaba hut (2650 meters). You might hear chimpanzees or see blue monkeys.

Total hiking time: 5-7 hours

Ascent: 1200 meters.

Day 3 JOHN MATTE HUT

After early breakfast you will start the hike through the Kurt Sharfer Bridge to marvel at the sparkling Mubuku river confluence. In the afternoon you will reach the Nyamuleju hut from where you might enjoy a nice view at Mount Stanley and Speke found on the Rwenzori mountains. Climb through the open patches, lobelia, and heath moss forest when proceeding up to the John Matte hut (3415 meters) for overnight.

Total hiking time: 7 hours

Ascent: 915 meters

Day 4 BUJUKU HUT

Depart early through the giant Lobelias and heath trees. You ascend to the Bigo Bog and scenic landscape of lobelias and giant groundsels. You will pass lake Bujuku, majestically settled between the famous rwenzori mountains. Continue to a rock shelter called Cooking Pot and soon you will arrive at your final stop for today. Dinner and overnight at the Bujuku Hut (3960 meters).

Total hiking time: 3-5 hours

Ascent: 560 meters

Day 5 ELENA HUT

Head off from the valley with scenic alpine vegetation consisting Giant Groundsels and Lobelia and continue to ascend Mount Victoria and Mount Speke at 4890 meters. Depart through the lovely views of the Savoia and Elena glaciers, scale further through to the Scott Elliott pass and proceed through the snow to the Elena Hut (4560 meters) for overnight rest. The Elena Hut will be your base for the final conquer of the Rwenzori Mountains.

Total hiking time: 3-5 hours

Ascent: 470 meters

Day 6 FINAL ASCENT TO THE ALPS OF AFRICA

Early morning ascent to the snowy Alexander peak (5092 meters) and then onwards to the highest peak at 5109 meters, the famous Margherita! Thereafter we directly descend to the beautiful lake Kitandara for overnight stay at Kitandara hut in the rwenzori mountains(4020 meters).

Total hiking time: 3-5 hours

Ascent: 670 meters - Descent: 1090 meters

Day 7 GUY YEOMAN HUT

After early breakfast a long descent begins on the rwenzori mountains. First we climb from Lake Kitandara to the Freshfield Pass from where you can look into the neighbouring country Congo. We will have a picnic lunch on the way and continue our journey while descending to the Guy Yeoman hut (3260 meters) for dinner and overnight.

Total hiking time: 5-7 hours

Descent: 1000 meters

Day 8 NYABITABA HUT

The last part of the hike! Drop very steeply along the Mubuku river and join the original route near the Bujuku river. (2650 meters).

Total hiking time: 5-7 hours

Descent: 600 meters

Day 9 KASESE

Today we descend to Nyakalengija which will take approximately 2-3 hours. Then we proceed to Kasese to check in at Hotel Margherita. Here you can relax and reflect your climb of the highest peak in Uganda.

Day 10 DEPARTURE

A last chance to enjoy the enchanting peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains of the Moon. With unforgettable memories you will say goodbye and leave for Kampala. Then proceed to Entebbe Airport for your evening flight. Or you might choose to enjoy the beauty of Uganda a little longer and visit other beautiful national parks.

The summit attempt is a grade walk because of the high altitude and the level of physical effort needed with scrambling involved. The rest of the trek is a grade more as a consequence of the high altitude and extended wilderness camping than the difficulty of walking; hence the grading for the overall trek.

Walking Conditions - This is a long and hard trek, which reaches an altitude of 4,842m the summit of Mt Baker and we do stress that if you are not prepared to exercise regularly, you are unlikely to make it to the summit. Even if you consider yourself fit, you might still find the climb very hard, depending on how well your body acclimatizes to high altitude. There is no scientific way to determine how easily you acclimatize, and be aware that the acclimatization process also can differ from climb to climb.

Most of the trails are well defined and of good quality but some forest sections are often slippery and paths can be very wet in poor weather conditions. The distances we cover on this trek are small, however depending upon conditions underfoot days can be long due to mud, boggy ground, and slippery steep trails and boulders.

During the course of the trip we shall spend time at both high and low altitude, experiencing both extremely cold and quite hot conditions. Please note that you will need complete confidence in your physical ability to attempt this trek. You should be prepared for early starts every day on trek, but we go to bed early to compensate.

In principle this is a full service trek but it must be appreciated that Uganda is still an area where concepts of tourism and services are not up to international standards, and punctuality and adherence to plans are foreign to their nature. If you have been on walking trips elsewhere, do not expect the same levels of service in Uganda as there is not a history of trekking here with big groups. It is the way of life in this area and is the tradeoff for going somewhere that is not crowded with other trekking groups. There is no mobile phone reception from day 4 until the evening of day 10.

Legal Note: all group members joining this tour will be asked to sign a Customer's Acknowledgement of Risk' liability waiver at the start of the holiday. This document limits the liability of our main supplier and is standard practice for most mountaineering companies and on all their tours. As a client of Steady Safaris Tours Ltd, your rights under the Package Travel Regulations (2007) are unaffected, and Steady Safaris remains liable for the actions of our sub-contractors. A copy of this document is available from Steady Safaris if required.